Here's a gift idea for you last minute shoppers. It's Richard Wiseman's book 59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot. He describes effective tips you can apply in less than a minute. This isn't a shallow "1,001 Ways To ..." book with gobs of filler and flaky ideas. In 59 Seconds, you get quality and quantity.
In the sphere of psychology and human behaviour, findings are never 100% conclusive but there are enough points to make you popular at parties.
This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com/2010/12/got-59-seconds-for-your-gift-list.html